Sinnoh Trek
by scifigeek6067
Summary: Three kids set off on their Pokemon Journey in the Sinnoh Region. Facing danger from Team Galactic and an unknown Pokemon gang, can these kids compete with the best?
1. Three Kids, One Journey

Author's Notes: This is my first ever fan fiction. I'd like to thank my beta, cookiemom6067 for all the grammar corrections.

A small red worm rested its tiny head on a pillow. The Wurmple was wide awake, watching her trainer as she slept. The girl was short for a ten year old, and had jet black hair. She was fast asleep after staying up half the night because she was incredibly excited. Wurmple hadn't fallen asleep yet because she was incredibly worried. Tomorrow, Wurmple and her trainer would begin their Pokémon journey.

Wurmple was afraid she would let her trainer down. Amanda was really looking forward to the trip. Wurmple snuggled into Amanda's side, which woke Amanda with a start. She turned on the light, and looked at the scared Pokémon lodged underneath her arm. Amanda picked her up and stroked her back.

"What's wrong, Wurmple? Are you okay?" Wurmple only shivered. "Tomorrow's the big day. The one we've been prepping for all week. I'm glad I'm starting out with you, instead of traveling all the way to Sandgem Town, just to pick out a Pokémon I've never seen before." Wurmple looked up at her with shining eyes. _Does she really think I'm better than a Chimchar, Turtwig, or Piplup?_ "And Rick and Madeline will be joining us, too. Isn't that great?" Wurmple nodded.

Amanda kept stroking Wurmple until the tiny worm fell into a deep sleep. Carefully, Amanda placed her on a pillow, laid back down, and fell asleep herself.

* * *

"Hey Rick!" A tall ten year-old with bright green eyes and sandy blonde hair, looked up from his video game to see his older brother, Toby, leaning on the wall. Toby looks like an older version of Rick, but Toby has blue eyes.

"Hi." Toby waited for his brother to say more, but he didn't, so Toby began the conversation.

"So you're gonna start your journey tomorrow, right?"

"Yep."

"And you don't have a Pokémon."

"Right, but Amanda has one and she said she'd catch one for me."

"Okay, but I just thought, since I am back from challenging the Hoenn League and all, you wouldn't mind if I gave you one of my Pokémon…"

Rick turned around to stare at his big brother. "Are you offering?"

"Yes."

"But, you said your Pokémon are your partners! And you couldn't trade any of them, even for a Rayquaza!"

"Giving one to your little bro isn't exactly trading. And I can't sent you out on your own with out protection, that would be irresponsible."

"You're sure?"

"Yes! Take this." Toby tossed a red and white ball to Rick. He caught it and held it in his hands in shock. "Well go on. Open it." Rick pressed the button in the center of the ball, and it popped open. A bright light filled the room for a moment. When it faded a small blue Pokémon stood erect in the center of the room.

It stood on two feet with black fins shooting out from its legs. It had a orange circle on its stomach and a black fin sprouting from its head. Rick was in awe, staring at this creature. He was so happy to have a Pokémon, he couldn't talk.

"Her name is Marshtomp. In Hoenn, Marshtomps are the second in the evolution line of the water starter Mudkip." Rick nodded at this still watching Marshtomp. "Marshtomp, I want you to listen to my kid brother, okay?" Marshtomp looked Rick up and down. She looked at Toby and nodded. "Okay, well have a good time, Rick." Toby left the room.

Marshtomp yawned and grabbed Rick's controller from his hands and started to play his video game.

* * *

Madeline rubbed the small white egg with a towel, shining it for what must have been the sixth time that day. As she did so, she relived the day she found it. She had been wandering around in Floaroma Meadow, picking flowers and checking trees for Pokémon when she nearly stepped on it. The egg was white with red and blue triangles all over it. She realized it was an egg right off the bat, since she was aspiring to be a Pokémon breeder and had read all about it. She scooped up the egg and took it to her mom. Her mother told her she could take care of the egg unless someone claimed it. So far no one has, so Madeline got her first Pokémon as an egg.

Madeline finished cleaning the egg and started to trace the patterns that covered it. She started to think about what type of Pokémon would hatch from an egg like this._ Maybe it'll be a Croagunk. I all ways did love poison and fighting types. Or a Kricketot, I like the bug type, too._

She never noticed that the egg was beginning to crack around the top. By the time she did notice, the baby Pokémon had emerged. It was white with spikes on top of its head. It was still wearing part of it's eggshell. It opened it's shiny black eyes, looked up at Madeline and said: _"Togepi!"_

Madeline nearly dropped him in surprise. She hadn't expected a Pokémon this rare to hatch from that egg. Her large gray eyes were open wide with shock. She brushed a strand of her ginger hair out of her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. Togepi wiggled in her hands saying his name and Madeline put him down on her bed. He ran all over the quilt, and Madeline couldn't keep her self from laughing.

Now I have a Pokémon for tomorrow."


	2. Dragon Rush

_Author's notes: Here's the second chapter. This one gave me a lot of trouble. I'd like to thank cookiemom6067 and Dad for the betas._

Wurmple awoke to find Amanda doing some last minute packing. She rolled her eyes, because that was just like Amanda. Wurmple noticed a flat red device sitting on Amanda's desk. She wondered briefly what it was, she had never seen it before.

"Oh Wurmple, you're awake. I just got a Pokédex. Rick and Madeline got one, too." Wurmple yawned. "I guess you didn't get enough sleep last night." Wurmple nodded. "Here, you can have a nice long nap in your pokéball. Return." A red light shot out from the pokéball and sucked Wurmple inside. Amanda grabbed her Pokédex and spare pokéballs from her desk. She looked into her backpack to make sure she had everything see needed.

"Okay, looks like I have everything. Time to go!" Amanda raced down the stairs where her mom was making breakfast.

"Amanda, aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I can't Mom. Rick and Madeline have been waiting for half an hour." Amanda ran out the door to see her two friends standing by the picket fence. "Sorry I'm late guys. I had to pack."

"Well, there's a surprise." Rick said with boredom lacing his tone.

"Madeline, what kind of Pokémon is that?" Amanda questioned. Madeline was holding a small creature wearing an eggshell.

"That's Togepi. He hatched from that egg I found in the meadow."

"He hatched last night?" Amanda had never seen a Pokémon quite like that one.

"Yes, but he's too young to battle. I was wondering if you could help me catch a Pokémon."

"I'll help you catch one!" Rick said, pointing at his chest with pride.

"Uh, Rick, last time I checked you didn't have a Pokémon." Amanda tapped her foot on the ground.

"I know, but I do now. Go Marshtomp!" Rick tossed a pokéball on to ground and it sent out Marshtomp. "Toby gave her to me. He used her in the Hoenn League."

"Toby came home?" Madeline said.

"He's been home for a couple weeks now, Madeline," Rick said.

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"Of course I didn't. I knew you'd get all weird and stuff if I told you, and you might hang around my house and embarrass me." At this point Madeline had stopped listening to Rick and was staring of into the distance with a dreamy look.

"You're weird, Madeline. Really weird," he said. Madeline slapped him on the back of the head.

Marshtomp was watching the whole exchange with bored eyes. Amanda was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Are you sure Marshtomp will listen to you?" Amanda asked. Rick looked down at the blue Pokémon, then at Amanda, smiling.

"Yep, Toby told her to." Rick smile faded a little.

"Alright…" said Madeline.

"Let's go catch you a Pokémon."

The three kids headed to Route 205 where they could catch a Pokémon for Madeline. They looked everywhere they could think of but didn't find any at all. "Okay, where did they all go?" Amanda said. The route was usually full of Pokémon.

"I don't think we're going to find any here." Rick said not noticing as a Starly landed on his head.

"Uh, Rick?" Madeline said trying not to laugh.

"What?"

"Look up." Rick did so, to see a small black and white bird perched atop his head. "Marshtomp, get it!" Marshtomp yawned and ignored him. "Marshtomp!"

"Try ordering her to use an attack." Amanda said. She remembered her first battle with Wurmple. She lost that battle because she kept making mistakes.

"Right, Marshtomp, use Water Gun." Marshtomp rolled her eyes and fired a jet of water at Starly. He fainted without her having to use another move. Madeline grabbed one of her spare pokéballs and tossed it at the Starly. The ball opened up and sucked him in. It shook once. Twice. Three times. It stopped.

"Yes! I caught a Starly!" Madeline threw her hands in the air shouting. She ran over to the pokéball and scooped it up. "With help from Marshtomp of course."

"Hey!" Rick said, slightly annoyed.

"And Rick, too." Rick smiled.

"Alright," said Amanda, "Should we get a move on?"

"Yeah." Rick and Madeline said together.

"Are we going to Eterna City, or are we going to Oreburgh City?"

"Let's go to Oreburgh City." Rick said "My Pokémon would get wiped out if we challenged a grass type gym." Marshtomp gave him an annoyed look.

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

The three ten-year olds wandered around Route 204 trying to find Ravaged Path. They looked behind tree after tree, behind every boulder, but the cave still eluded them.

After about two hours of that, Madeline was getting frustrated. "Alright Rick, you said you knew where the entrance is, so find it!" Madeline screamed into the forest, making Togepi nervous.

"Okay! Jeez…" Rick got down on the ground and flipped over rocks. Amanda sighed. This is gonna be a long day. I think I'll send out Wurmple. Amanda released her Pokémon and she climbed up on to Amanda's shoulder. Wurmple nuzzled Amanda's neck when she spotted Togepi.

"_Wurmple!" _Said Wurmple.

"_Toge, Toge!" _Togepi said. Amanda smiled, glad Wurmple and Togepi were getting along, though she wished she could say the same for Madeline and Rick.

"_Budew!"_ Amanda spun around to see a small green Pokémon jumping up and down around her. _Cool, a Budew! I could use that during the gym battle._ "Wurmple, go!" Wurmple hopped down from Amanda's shoulder, ready to fight.

"_Budew!"_ The little green Pokémon got ready for battle also. Wurmple started to give him intimidating stares, trying to scare him. Budew ignored her, concentrating on winning this battle. Rick and Madeline stopped fighting to watch.

"Wurmple, use Tackle!" Wurmple sped toward Budew as fast as she could carry herself. She slammed into Budew, sending the little green Pokémon flying in the opposite direction. Budew landed on his feet, and glowed a yellowish color. Tendrils of energy shot out from Budew and wrapped themselves around Wurmple. Wurmple whined with pain. Soon Budew stopped, and Wurmple started staggering around the field.

"Wurmple, try to ignore it, and use Poison Sting!" Wurmple opened her mouth and shot purple needles at Budew. Budew stopped using his attack because he was hurt so badly. "Now follow up with Tackle!" Wurmple rushed forward and slammed into Budew once again. Budew slammed hard into the ground, and Amanda grabbed one of the pokéballs from her belt. The pokéball sucked Budew inside and started to twitch. Soon it stopped.

"Yes!" Amanda ran forward and grabbed Wurmple and spun her around. "Great job, Wurmple! That was great!" Amanda picked up the pokéball containing her new Budew. Amanda was curious about the attack Budew used on Wurmple, so she pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the pokéball.

"I think that attack was Absorb." Wurmple looked over Amanda's shoulder at the Pokédex and nodded. "Absorb drains the target Pokémon and heals the attacking Pokémon."

"Hmm… that might be useful in your gym battle," said Madeline, also looking at the Pokédex. Togepi was trying to push one of the buttons.

"I can take on the gym with just Marshtomp," said Rick, proudly.

"But Marshtomp doesn't like you that much. I think you should concentrate on gaining her respect," Amanda said. Rick's smiled faded.

Rick considered this with a hurt expression. "Aren't we trying to find Ravaged Path?" He said, avoiding the issue.

* * *

"Sunlight!" Amanda ran out of the dark cave that was Ravaged Path into the warmth of the sun.

"We must have been traveling in there for about three hours," said Madeline, just emerging from the cave. Togepi looked extremely happy to see light after traveling in a dark cave.

"How can you tell?" Rick said, not really interested.

"The position of the sun." Rick nodded slightly. "And the fact that Amanda was so eager to get out of there." Rick smiled. His friend didn't like darkness too much. She would go to sleep just before the sun would set every single night, unless she was excited over something.

"Okay, guys. We still have a long time till we reach Oreburgh City. Rick get the map." Amanda ordered. Rick dug around in his backpack for a few seconds.

"Alright, we are here," he said pointing to a spot on the map. "We have to get here so-"

"NO! We're right here!" Madeline said. Soon Rick and Madeline were fighting over the map. Amanda sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

_Grumble, grumble. _Wurmple's stomach growled, and she lowered her head in embarrassment. "Guys, Wurmple's hungry, and by the looks of it Togepi is, too." Madeline and Rick looked down. Togepi was clutching his stomach and looked a little grumpy.

"I'm hungry, too," Rick said. Madeline yanked the map out of his hands and tried to figure out where they were. "Maybe Marshtomp's hungry, too. Go, Marshtomp!" Rick tossed the ball to the ground and Marshtomp shot out looking bored. "Marshtomp, are you hungry?" Marshtomp found something more interesting to look at.

"Maybe she has abandonment issues," Amanda suggested. Rick furrowed his brow, looking slightly upset.

"_Toge!"_ Togepi started to struggle in Madeline's arms.

"We'd better feed him fast," Amanda said. Rick dug around in his pack, and pulled out a box of Pokémon food.

"This has to be prepared, though," Rick said, looking at the label. He tossed the box to Madeline, who frowned.

"You two start a fire, I'm gonna go find water," Madeline set Togepi down and headed off into the woods.

* * *

"Go, Starly!" The small black and white bird erupted from his pokéball and took to the skies. "I need you to find a pond," Madeline shouted to Starly. Starly flew into the air and circled around. He suddenly flew off to the east and Madeline followed. Starly landed in a large clearing, next to a small grey Pokémon, who appeared hurt. "That's a Machop!" Madeline shouted, and rushed over.

"This doesn't look good Starly. What could've done this to him?" Madeline reached for her backpack and fished around for a potion. "Starly, you don't think what ever did this to Machop is still around, right?"

"_Starly!"_ The little starling shook its head, slowly. Madeline started to spray Machop's injures. He winced at the stinging sensation, but refused to cry out.

"I know it stings, but it'll be over soon." Machop nodded through the pain. "See, now it looks just fine," she said a few minutes later.

"_Machop!"_ Machop smiled warmly. A twig snapped in the bushes, and Machop jumped to his feet, listening for something. Suddenly, a huge purplish Pokémon leaped out from them, growling.

"_Gar!!"_ It yelled. Machop, Starly, and Madeline were frozen with fear.

"What is that thing?" Madeline said, whipping out her Pokédex.

_Garchomp flies at speeds equal to a jet airplane. It never allows its prey to escape._

"Looks like we won't be able to outrun it! Starly, go get Amanda and Rick!" Starly flew into to the air, back the way they had come. Garchomp was preparing to fly after Starly, but a flying grey projectile smacked him in the face. Machop had joined the fight!

"_Gar!"_

"_Machop!"_ The two Pokémon circled each other, preparing for battle. Garchomp lifted his lip, showing a row of sharp, white teeth. Machop flexed his muscles, attempting to hide his fears of fighting Garchomp. Garchomp smirked an evil smirk, as if he could taste Machop's fear, and was relishing it. Machop rushed forward and kicked Garchomp in the leg. Garchomp stumble a bit, but recovered quickly.

Madeline watched with fear for Machop. Garchomp was rushing forward with fire in his mouth. He tried to bite Machop, but Machop rolled out of the way, and Garchomp missed biting Machop by an inch. Machop ran after, and grabbed Garchomp by the tail. Machop began to spin him around in circles. Just when Madeline got dizzy from watching, Machop threw Garchomp all the way across the clearing. He landed with a thud, but got to his feet in a few seconds.

Garchomp rushed forward and slammed into Machop. Machop flew into a tree. He slid down its trunk. He shakily got to his feet, and got into attack stance.

Garchomp flew into the air, and he started to glow. He started to fall toward Machop, and Madeline realized the strength of this attack was greater than any she had ever seen before. Machop realized this, too, and his fist started to glow.

"_Machop!!" _Machop jumped up and he met Garchomp in midair. There was a bright flash when they connected, and Madeline couldn't see a thing.


	3. It slices! It dices! It Machops!

Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter. Once again I'd like to thank cookiemom6067 and Dad for beta-ing. And my brother for keeping me writing this.

Madeline opened her eyes slowly, making sure she was still alive. She suddenly remembered why she was in the middle of this clearing, and she looked around for Machop. He was sitting with his back to a tree, looking badly hurt. Garchomp was standing, but he swayed, like leaves in the branches of a tree.

_If only my friends were here! They could probably help Machop!_ Madeline silently cursed herself for being without Pokémon even if it was only for a few minutes. _This'll never happen again, I promise._

Machop tried to stand, but fell back down. Garchomp smiled at this, he knew Machop would never stand a chance. Garchomp's teeth burst into flame, he somehow managed to smirk through all of the fire, and rushed forward. Machop closed his eyes, waiting for the attack.

"Hitmonlee, Mega Kick!" said a voice. A glowing foot smacked Garchomp on the cheek. The force of the attack sent him into a tree. He slumped against it, fainted.

Madeline looked at the Pokémon who had just entered the fray. The Pokémon was light brown, with powerful looking legs and delicate arms. It looked very disciplined, and gave the air of someone who had see lots of battles.

Madeline turned to his trainer. The boy was about sixteen or fifteen, with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. He was very plain, wearing kaki pants and a solid blue T-shirt.

"Are you okay?" he asked. At her nod he rushed over to Machop. Madeline looked down at her hand and saw that she was still carrying the potion.

As she ran over, the boy scooped Machop into his arms and said, "We should move." They both looked at Garchomp, and Madeline nodded.

"Madeline!" She turned to see Starly flying in the air, Amanda and Rick close behind.

"Come on," she said to the boy, and they ran off to meet her friends.

* * *

They reached camp and Madeline noticed her friends had a nice fire going. "You can put Machop here," Amanda said, indicating a blanket the had put out to eat their lunch on. The boy lowered the Pokémon on to it and Madeline started to spray his injures.

"So, what's your name?" Rick asked, eying Hitmonlee's trainer with curiosity.

"Harvey. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Rick, this is Amanda, and Madeline is the one healing Machop." Harvey nodded to each of the group in turn.

"So what exactly happened to my Machop?" he asked.

I found him in that clearing, hurt. I think Garchomp might have been behind that, but I'm not sure. I sprayed him with the potion, and healed his wounds. Then Garchomp jumped out off the bush…" Madeline told Harvey exactly what happened. The whole time he just nodded, until she told him about Machop's last attack.

"He used Dynamic Punch!?" Harvey asked, incredulous. "On Dragon Rush!?"

"I guess so. Why?"

"Dynamic Punch is Machop's strongest attack. The fact that he used it, and that he held his own in battle against such a tough Pokémon is incredible!" Turning to the now healed Machop, "See, Machop. You're a strong Pokémon, and you shouldn't doubt it." Machop looked up at Harvey with shining eyes. The three ten year-olds, however, just looked on with confused expressions.

"Uh… my Machop doesn't have a very high self-esteem. I train fighting type Pokémon. During our last training session, Machop kept getting knocked out by my other Pokémon. Eventually, he ran into the woods, upset. I think that's where he met Garchomp the first time." Machop looked embarrassed by his earlier behavior. "It's a good thing you found him when you did, he would have been dragon food."

"About that, I didn't think there where any Garchomps around here." Amanda said.

"I don't think that was a wild one. I would be on the lookout for his trainer. If their Garchomp is any indication of how they train their Pokémon, they're very powerful."

"What makes you think it's not a wild Garchomp in the first place?" Rick asked.

"I've heard things about a group of trainers raising dragon Pokémon to get what they want. People say they're incredibly strong, which describes Garchomp perfectly."

"So they're like Team Galactic?" Madeline asked.

"Exactly. You Rookies definitely want to be careful, if they're around here." Rick started fuming at the word "rookie." As far as he was concerned, he could beat anyone in Pokémon battle.

"Machop and I had better hit the road." Harvey hopped to his feet. "Thanks for helping Machop out," he said to Madeline. "I'll see later then." He and Machop headed into the forest.

Just when they where about to disappear, Machop turned, waved to Madeline, then followed his trainer out of sight.

"All that work and we didn't even get lunch fixed." Rick said while his stomach grumbled ravenously. Togepi burst into tears.

* * *

Rick lay awake after both of his friends had fallen asleep, the memories of his first day racing through his head. He looked over at Amanda and Madeline. Madeline was curled around Togepi, with Starly perched on her head. Amanda was snuggling with Wurmple, while Budew lay on her sleeping bag. And Marshtomp… Marshtomp was sleeping as far away from Rick as she could. Rick relived his day again, some parts more prominent in his thoughts than others.

"_Uh, Rick?" Madeline said trying not to laugh._

"_What?"_

"_Look up." Rick did so, to see a small black and white bird perched atop his head. _

"_Marshtomp, get it!" Marshtomp yawned and ignored him. "Marshtomp!"_

"_Try ordering her to use an attack."_

I looked like such a fool_,_ he thought, remembering his half-witted blunder.

"_Hmm… that might be useful in your gym battle," said Madeline, also looking at the Pokédex. Togepi was trying to push one of the buttons._

"_I can take on the gym with just Marshtomp," said Rick, proudly._

"_But Marshtomp doesn't like you that much. I think you should concentrate on gaining her respect," Amanda said. _

"Maybe I'm not fit to be a Pokémon Trainer," he wondered despairingly. "I can't get Marshtomp to accept me as her trainer, Toby's probably waiting for me to call and tell him how good me and Marshtomp are getting along, and Amanda and Madeline probably think I should go home. And Harvey_._" Rick breathed in sharply, upset.

"_So they're like Team Galactic?" Madeline asked._

"_Exactly. You Rookies definitely want to be careful, if they're around here."_

Rick knew Harvey didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but it hurt just the same. "I have to try harder tomorrow_,"_ he thought, and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Is it true Blondes have more fun?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

Rick trudged along the path at a snail's pace. He kept thinking about the start of his journey, one week ago. He hadn't been able to get into the swing of things, with Marshtomp unhappy with him, and trying to adjust to life as a Pokémon Trainer in general. Marshtomp hadn't been much help. She was being as stubborn as ever. Rick was surprised she hadn't run off yet, but she promised Toby she'd look after him.

Rick wanted some way to prove he was just as good a trainer as Toby, to get Marshtomp to trust him, but he hadn't had any opportunity to do so. His hand absentmindedly reached for Marshtomp's pokéball. He thought about what Toby was doing right now. He was probably training for either the Johto or Kanto regions, he hadn't challenged those yet. Rick knew that Toby didn't need the practice. Toby and his Torterra were an almost unbeatable team.

Rick remembered watching Toby train, and thinking that no one could defeat his brother. Now that Rick was on his own journey, and was having trouble as soon as his first day, he started wondering how Toby had done it. He was so deep in thought he didn't notice that Amanda and Madeline had stopped moving until he ran into them. They were watching four people walk toward them: two girls and two boys.

One of the boys, obviously the leader, had curly brown hair with dark purple streaks on both sides of his head. He walked as if he was dancing to his own background music. He seemed like one of those people who was always having, or trying to have, a good time.

The other boy looked laid-back and shy. He had plain black hair, lacking any flair, unlike the first boy. He had sad grey eyes, and wore a plain green polo shirt. As he talked with his friends, he would smile and laugh, but it never quite reached his eyes.

One of the girls had dyed her hair a fiery red color. She had dark blue eyes, and was, from what Amanda, Madeline, and Rick could tell, the one telling all the jokes.

The other girl had light brown hair, and kept tripping over her feet. Her hair was up in a pony tail, and she had brown eyes.

They stopped in front of Amanda. One of the boys, the leader, extended his hand to her and said, "I'm Benjamin."

Amanda took it. "Amanda." Benjamin smiled. He brushed his curls from his eyes and pointed to the other people in his gang.

"That's Charlie," He pointed to the other boy. "Grace," He pointed to brown-haired girl. "And Brooke." He pointed to the remaining member of his group.

"This is Madeline and that's Rick." Rick nodded absentmindedly at his introduction.

Benjamin noticed Togepi in Madeline's arms. "We're Pokémon Trainers. Do you want to have a double battle with us?"

"What's a double battle?" asked Rick.

"It's when four trainers battle at the same time. Usually, they operate in teams, with two trainers on each side. It not only tests your skill in battle, but how well you gel as a team." Grace explained. "Since there are four of us on our side, we'll have to have two. Does that answer your question?" Rick nodded.

"But there's only three of _us_. How are we supposed have two double battles like that?" Madeline asked.

"I have two Pokémon, Madeline," said Amanda, impatiently. "I can battle twice." Madeline nodded.

"What do you think, Rick?" she asked. He thought about it. It would be a chance to prove himself, but if he lost…

"Okay."

Benjamin smiled. He stepped forward, reaching for a pokéball on his belt. "Alright, so which of you is going first?" Madeline stepped forward. "I will."

Benjamin nodded at that. Brooke ran forward to battlefield.

"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you're rookies," said Brooke, smirking._There's that word again. Rookies. Does the whole world know?! Or is it just because they know Amanda only has two Pokémon?_ Rick thought.

"Go, Skorupi!" A purplish-blue Pokémon call out of its ball. It had a claw-like appendage on its tail, and two spikes near its face. Benjamin grabbed a pokeball and tossed it saying, "Go, Kricketot!" A small bug Pokémon appeared. It knocked its antenna together and made a sound like a xylophone. Madeline's face lit up to see on of her favorite Pokémon, and as she reached for Starly's pokéball, she wondered what it would be like to have one. "Rick, hold Togepi." She handed the baby Pokémon off, and tossed Starly's pokéball. "Go, Starly!" The little starling took flight, circling the battlefield.

"Alright, go Wurmple!" Amanda tossed the pokéball and her Pokémon hopped into the fray. She sized up her opponents, and spun around in circles with excitement. _If I called Marshtomp out, she'd just glare at me. _Rick thought. He sighed.

"You guys can have the first move." Benjamin said. Amanda nodded.

"Wurmple, use Tackle!"

"Starly, use Quick Attack!"

Starly flew past Wurmple and smacked into Skorupi. Skorupi flew backwards, but landed on her feet. Wurmple ran at Kricketot and hit him in the stomach. He stumbled a bit, but didn't fall.

"Skorupi, use Poison Sting!"

"Bide, Kricketot!"

Kricketot lowered his head and started glowing red. Skorupi fired white darts from her mouth. They hit Starly, and he fell to the ground.

"Now use Slash while he's on the ground!" Skorupi scuttled forward and hit Starly with one of her spikes. Starly flew backwards and slammed into a tree.

"Wurmple, use poison sting on Skorupi!" Wurmple shot white darts from her mouth, copying Skorupi a moment before, and hit Skorupi. It didn't do much damage, but it slowed Skorupi back considerably.

"Skorupi, move behind Kricketot!" _Why would someone order their Pokémon to put their teammate in danger?_ Amanda thought. Wurmple fired the poison darts at Kricketot instead. Suddenly, Kricketot started to get redder. Amanda realized too late what Bide did. She was too late to tell Wurmple to stop attacking Kricketot and find cover.

Kricketot exploded with energy. It engulfed the whole battle field, and Amanda knew that there was no way Wurmple could've escaped that blast. She was so overcome with worry, she didn't notice a black and white streak racing to her Pokémon.

When the light cleared, Wurmple was no where in sight. Neither was Starly. Amanda was sure Wurmple was flying through the air, blown away by the strength of the attack.

"Amanda, look!" Madeline pointed up in the air. Amanda look up, and saw Starly flying down to the battlefield, carrying Wurmple. Amanda was relieved to see her Pokémon safe. The two Pokémon spiraled downward, towards Skorupi and Kricketot. When they got close enough, Starly dropped Wurmple, who sped toward Kricketot in an airborne Tackle. Starly then pointed his sharp beak at Skorupi and sped up. They connected at the same time. There was a blue flash when Starly hit Skorupi, and both she and Kricketot flew backwards. Kricketot was the only one to stay up.

"Wurmple, Starly, use Tackle, now!" Both Madeline and Amanda shouted. The two Pokémon raced toward the little bug Pokémon and slammed into him. He fell to the ground and didn't get up.

Benjamin was in shock. After the Bide attack everything was a blur for him. He returned his fainted Kricketot without a word. Brooke, however was mad. She had spent hours trying to improve her training skills, and she couldn't defeat two rookies? She rushed forward to her Skorupi.

"Are you okay?" she said, stroking her. Skorupi nodded. "Alright, you get rested in your pokéball. Skorupi, return." After she recalled Skorupi, she turned to Amanda and Madeline. "You guys did okay for new trainers."

"Thanks," said Madeline.

"But you guys won't win next time." Brooke said, with a, slightly stiff, smile.

"We'll be looking forward to it," Amanda said, smiling.

Benjamin had come out of his trance. "Grace, Charlie. You're up."

Grace nodded and ran forward. "My Pokémon will be-" She tripped over a root that was jutting out of the ground. Charlie ran forward to help her up. "Thanks. Buizel!" Her Pokémon burst out of its ball, while drops of water fell everywhere. Standing on the battlefield was a small weasel-like Pokémon with fins. It got into battle stance, waiting for its opponent.

"Chingling!" Charlie threw the pokéball and his yellow Pokémon bounced out. It bounced around the battlefield, just having a good time. Charlie smiled at this. It was one of the reasons he chose to capture Chingling.

Amanda smiled at Chingling's antics as well. It was always great to have a cheerful Pokémon. She shook her head, trying to concentrate on winning. "Go get 'em, Budew!" she said tossing the ball. Her Pokémon looked at his foes, and got a nervous look in his eyes. _I forgot this is his first battle!_ Amanda thought. "Don't worry, Budew. You can win this with your eyes shut!"

After handing Togepi to Madeline, Rick slowly walked up to where Amanda was standing. He was scared that Marshtomp wouldn't listen to him. He fingered her pokéball, trying not to look the way he felt.

"Any day now, Blondie." Grace said. That made Rick run forward shouting, "Marshtomp, go!" She sailed through the air, landing gracefully on her feet. She took one look at her trainer, and rolled her eyes. He was nervous, one thing that set him apart from Toby.

"We'll go first," Grace said. "Buizel, use Water Gun!"

"Astonish!"

Buizel opened her mouth and fired a jet of water at Marshtomp, who got hit in the stomach. She quickly recovered, not showing any indication she had been hurt. Chingling sent sound waves flying through the air at Budew. When they hit him, he cowered in fear, crying. Amanda realized she should have trained at least a little with Budew.

"Marshtomp, use… Mud Bomb!" Marshtomp rolled her eyes again at her trainer's lack of experience, but obeyed. She opened her mouth, and tiny balls of mud came out, pelting Buizel in the face. Some got in her eyes, and she tried to rub it out. This spectacle got Budew to stop crying and get back in the battle.

"Budew, use Absorb on Buizel!" He started glowing a familiar yellow color. Tendrils of energy wrapped themselves around Buizel. She cried out, not knowing where the attack was coming from.

"Chingling, use Uproar!" Chingling wailed loudly. Everyone covered their ears, except for Buizel and Chingling. And also Budew, because he didn't have any arms to cover them with.

"Budew, use Stun Spore!" Amanda said, but it was no use, Budew couldn't hear her.

Marshtomp decided to take matters into her own hands. She opened her mouth wide, and sent water flying towards Chingling. It hit him on the forehead, and he stopped his attack.

"Good job, Marshtomp," Rick said. "Now use… Mud Shot!" Marshtomp had this sinking feeling her trainer would never be good at battling. She fired the mud at Chingling, who flopped around it like a fish out of water.

"Budew, use Absorb!" Budew started to glow again, and just about reached Buizel but-

"Buizel, use Agility!" Buizel raced around the field, avoiding Budew's attack.

"Chingling, use Wrap!" Elastic-y ropes extended from Chingling's tassels, wrapping themselves around Marshtomp.

"Marshtomp! Try to get free!" Rick called, but the more Marshtomp struggled the tighter the ropes became. Budew was too preoccupied with Buizel to help Marshtomp. They eventually got so tight Rick was sure Marshtomp couldn't breathe. "STOP!" Rick shouted rushed into the battlefield. "I give up!" Chingling let go of Marshtomp immediately. Marshtomp wondered why he did something like that.

"Marshtomp, are you okay?" She gave him a feeble nod. "Okay, you should rest in your ball." She nodded again. "Return." The red light sucked her into the pokéball.

Amanda was by Rick's side. "Is she going to be alright?"

Rick exhaled. "Yeah."

"_Budew…"_ Amanda's little Pokémon said, apologizing for not helping Marshtomp.

"It's not your fault. I don't think anything could've stopped that," Rick said. Amanda scooped him up.

"Not bad for your first battle, Budew," she said, trying to make him feel better.

"_Budew…"_ he said sadly.

"Budew, return," Amanda said. He went inside with a shaky smile on his face. Charlie and Grace had wandered over to where Rick and Amanda were. Rick sat in the grass, not paying attention to what was happening around him.

"It's nice to meet someone who cares so deeply for his Pokémon," said Grace, smiling at Rick.

"Huh, what?" Rick stared at her blankly, not taking in what was said.

"Most people would just let their Pokémon suffer, instead of giving up," said Charlie. Rick gave him a half smile.

"Marshtomp doesn't seem to think so. She wishes Toby was still her trainer," said Rick, glumly.

"You could try talking to her," Grace said. Rick shrugged. By this time, Madeline, Benjamin, and Brooke had walked over to their friends.

"I guess I could…" Rick looked down at Marshtomp's ball. He frowned, wondering what he would say.

A loud grumbling sound ripped right through that thought, and Brooke clutched her stomach. "I'm starving!" She said. "What about the rest of you?" Madeline and Benjamin's stomachs started growling at that. "I guess so," Brooke said.

"Do you guys want to have lunch with us?" Grace asked.

"We'd love to," said Amanda. Rick stood, stretched, and said, "I'm gonna take a walk. You guys go ahead and eat," in a heavy tone.

* * *

"Go, Marshtomp." Rick's Pokémon came out, still hurt from the battle. She looked around, and spotted Rick kneeling beside her. "We need to talk," he said. She nodded. "I know you didn't really want to become my Pokémon, and I know that you'd rather stay with Toby. But I don't think you're being fair. I've only been a trainer for a week now. I can't be as good as my brother in that period of time. And I can't do this thing without your help. So will you please just give me a chance?" Rick said that all without stopping for breath.

"_Mar?"_ Marshtomp asked.

"Yes, I did rehearse that," Rick said, shrugging. "So what do you say?" He held out his hand. Marshtomp looked at it for a second then took it.

"_Marsh."_

"Good. Are you okay?" Marshtomp was holding her chest with a grimace. She shook her head. "Wait one second." Rick grabbed his backpack and started looking for something inside it. "Ah ha!" He pulled out a small bag, containing Oran berries. He pulled a couple out and handed them to her.

"Good thing Dad made me pack these," he said, laughing as she stuffed them in her mouth. "Feel better?"

"_Marshtomp!"_ She rubbed her belly, sighing deeply.

"_Toge!"_ Rick and Marshtomp both looked around for the source of the noise. Togepi ran out of the bushes.

"Togepi? What are you doing out here? Where's Madeline?" Rick asked. Togepi danced around his ankles. "Come on." He grabbed Togepi and sprinted back to the clearing, with Marshtomp hot on his heels.

* * *

Rick jumped out of the bushes to find his friends tied up. Benjamin and his friends were tied up as well. They had tape on their mouths, and they were struggling to get free. Two strangers Rick had never seen before were carrying a bag full of... pokéballs? They had blue-green hair and were wearing what looked like space suits.

"Wow, twenty-one Pokémon in one heist! We may have hit the jack-pot, Comet!" said the one holding the bag.

The other nodded and said, "You'd think Pokémon Trainers would be hard to sneak up on. Right, Nova?" Nova smirked, and he closed the bag. Charlie started struggling harder. Rick suddenly realized who these people were. They were members of Team Galactic, and they were stealing his friends Pokémon.

Rick leapt out of the bushes shouting, "Stop right there!" The two grunts jumped at the sudden noise. They turned slowly to face their challenger. When the caught sight of Rick, eyes angry but definitely nervous, they laughed, not sure what they had been afraid of.

Rick glared, these people had stolen his friends Pokémon, tied them up, and now they dared to laugh at him while he was this angry? "Marshtomp! Go get 'em!" Marshtomp jumped in front of Rick, and gave them a look that could've made a Gyarados cower in fear. Well, it would if she was a little bit bigger...

"You can't possibly think you can beat us?" Comet said, said in hysterics. Rick started to bite his lip, trying not to look scared. Marshtomp growled.

"I think he's serious, Comet. Want to teach him a lesson?" Nova pulled out a pokéball and enlarged it.

"I'd love to. Go, Glameow!" A large cat with a spring-like tail emerged. It took one look at Marshtomp and bared its teeth.

"Go, Dustox!" Nova released his giant moth Pokémon and it fluttered around the field with an evil look on its face.

"What are those things?" Rick pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at the newly emerged Pokémon.

_Glameow. The Catty Pokémon. With its sharp glare, Glameow puts foes in a mild hypnotic state. It is a very fickle Pokémon. _

_Dustox. The Poison Moth Pokémon. The evolved form of Cascoon. Dustox violently flutters its wings to scatter toxic dust when attacked. It becomes active after sunset._

Rick put his Pokédex away, analyzing the situation he found himself in.

"Two against one's no fair!" Rick cried, while Marshtomp gave him a look that clearly asked, _You don't think I can beat these clowns?_.

"Well that's too bad. You should have thought of that before you challenged Team Galactic!" Comet and Nova had started to laugh again. Rick squeezed his eyes shut, trying to tune it out. Togepi hopped out of his arms and joined the fray. Madeline made a muffled sound of protest, and Rick just looked dumbfound. This didn't faze the Team Galactic goons, it just added to their laughter.

"Glameow, use Scratch!" Comet said through his laughter. Glameow ran forward paw raised, getting ready to slash Togepi. His attack never reached Togepi, however. It hit Marshtomp. She didn't appear hurt in the slightest by the attack. She just fired a jet of water at Glameow to push him backwards. Comet and Nova's laughter stopped right there.

"Marshtomp, use Mud Slap! Togepi… do something!" Marshtomp started to kick dirt at Glameow. It hit him everywhere, getting in his eyes, in his fur, just… everywhere! Togepi got this adorable look in his eyes. Dustox saw this, and smiled a goofy smile.

"Dustox, use Gust!" Dustox smiled once again at Togepi, and flapped up a pleasant breeze. "No! Harder! Don't look that thing in the eyes!" Dustox finally managed to break free from Togepi's spell and started to flap like there was no tomorrow.

"Marshtomp, pin Togepi down!" The little Pokémon was starting to get blown away by the force of the attack. Marshtomp hopped over to Togepi and held him in place. Dustox kept at it, trying to blow them both away.

"Marshtomp, use Water Gun!" Marshtomp shot the water at Dustox. Most of it was blown backwards, but the stuff that didn't hit him in the stomach. He fell from the air landing in the dirt. By this time, Glameow had rid himself of all the mud on his fur, and was ready to get back to battling.

"Glameow, use Fury Swipes!" Glameow ran forward and started to slash at Marshtomp with everything he had. Most of the attack missed her, but a few well aimed shots got her sides. Glameow stopped his barrage a few moments later, leaving Marshtomp clutching her sides. Togepi saw this, and released big pink hearts from his mouth. They hit Glameow, and he began stumble around the battlefield.

"Glameow, what are you doing?" Comet wailed. Rick tried to bite back his laughter. He couldn't lose this battle because he lost his composure.

"Marshtomp, use Mud Shot!" Marshtomp fire a huge stream of mud at Dustox, who was propelled backwards. When he fluttered back into the air, he was brown all over, covered in mud.

"Dustox, use Tackle on Glameow!" Nova shouted. Rick was shocked. Why would someone attack their teammate's Pokémon? Suddenly, Rick realized just what Nova was trying to accomplish. He was trying to get Glameow out of confusion.

Dustox slammed into Glameow hard, and the cat Pokémon was knocked forward. He stood slowly, then shook himself off, and faced Marshtomp and Togepi.

"Dustox, use Tackle!" Nova shouted again, while Comet screamed, "Glameow, use Fury Swipes!" Both Pokémon headed for Marshtomp, and no one noticed that Togepi has started to wave his arms back and forth. Just before Glameow and Dustox reached Marshtomp an invisible barrier suddenly appeared. They slammed into it and fell to the ground, fainted.

Rick was dumbstruck by that. _Did that come from Togepi? _he thought. He shook himself out if it and said, "Alright, you lost! Now give my friends' Pokémon back!" Nova and Comet stood still for a while, then dropped the bag, grabbed their Pokémon, and ran off.

Marshtomp looked at Togepi, who started dancing around. She was surprised that Togepi could have pulled off such a powerful attack. He was far too young. None of the baby Pokémon she'd meet during her journey through Hoenn with Toby could do that.

"Marshtomp!" Rick called. "Untie everybody, while I get the pokéballs." She nodded. Marshtomp jumped over to where Madeline was tied up and took the tape of her mouth.

"Rick! What did you think you were doing, battling with Togepi?" Marshtomp was sure she saw Amanda roll her eyes. "He's one week old!"

"I couldn't put Marshtomp out there alone! Besides, Togepi didn't get hurt at all." Rick was searching the bag for Starly, Wurmple, and Budew. He accidentally released Skorupi, instead.

"He almost did! He could've been seriously hurt by that awful Glameow!" Madeline was free now, and she marched over to Rick. Marshtomp was sure she was going to hit him upside the head, and was really surprised when Madeline bent down to help him look instead. Skorupi was cutting through ropes with her claws.

"He got some battle experience, _and_ learned some moves in the process! What more could you want?!" Rick had released Chingling, and finally found Budew.

"I don't care that he learned some attacks! I don't want him getting hurt!" Madeline shouted.

"If it were up to you, Togepi would never get a chance to battle! You're gonna end up just like your mom!" Madeline was shocked. Her mother put restrictions on just about everything. Madeline had gotten hardly any freedom to do anything. She remembered that her mom had almost kept her from traveling with her friends. Madeline was surprised when her mom had let her keep Togepi's egg. She couldn't help but wonder whether Rick was right, and that she was going to do the same to Togepi.

Rick kept searching for Starly and Wurmple. He wouldn't say a word to anyone, just kept at his task. He had found Kricketot and Buizel by the time he had picked up two new pokéballs. He released the Pokémon inside, and Wurmple and Starly greeted him.

"Finally!" he announced to no one in particular. Amanda, now untied, rushed forward and held her two Pokémon tightly. Madeline didn't react as Starly flew over to her.

"Just out of curiosity, how did you manage to take that long to find our Pokémon in that bag full of pokéballs, but you only released seven Pokémon?" Amanda asked.

"I have a sixth sense," he said, as if everyone knew it.

"Uh-huh," said Amanda, trying not to laugh. She looked over at their new friends, and saw them hugging the Pokémon Rick had released. Wurmple and Budew were hugging her legs, well… as well as they could without arms.

Grace ran over to Rick and tripped over a rock that was in her path. Rick helped her up and she said, "Not bad, Blondie. But you're gonna need to get a lot better of you want to challenge the Pokémon League." Rick smiled.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind, Trip." Grace faked being hurt. "So, when are we going to see what other Pokémon you guys have?" Charlie had grabbed the bag of pokéballs, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Next time we battle," said Benjamin, who was walking away. Brooke and Charlie followed suit, and Grace smiled and ran after them.

"Next time, I'm gonna win," said Rick. Marshtomp nodded.

* * *

"Hey! Guys! You can see Jubilife City from here!" Amanda called to her friends, trying to cheer them up. Rick and Madeline ran forward, and got a beautiful view of Jubilife City.

"We're a little bit closer to the Pokémon League every step," Rick said, obviously pleased at the thought.

"Well, what are we standing around for, then?" Madeline said, and ran down the hill, with Amanda and Rick hot on her heels.

* * *

**Author's Note: I caught a nasty case of writer's block and almost couldn't finish this. It was awful. Steam was coming out of my ears and everything. Once again I thank cookiemom6067 for the beta. Let me know whether you liked this or not. I can't make it better without your input. Thanks.**


	5. A Crawdaunting Task

Disclaimer:I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

"There's a phone over there." Nurse Joy pointed to the corner of the Pokémon Center. Amanda thanked her and ran over to the phone.

"I'm next, Amanda!" Rick called, but Amanda was too busy punching in numbers to notice.

"Come on. Pick up the phone, Mom." Amanda muttered, after about four seconds.

"Finally!" she cried when her mother picked up. Her mother was looking a little tired on the screen.

"What do you mean 'Finally'? You only called a few seconds ago! What's up 'Manda?"

"Nothing, Mom. I was just calling to let you know I arrived in Jubilife City. On the way I caught a Budew, and we got attacked by Team Galactic." Amanda absentmindedly started to mess with her jeans.

All the exhaustion disappeared from her mother's face. "Are you all right? Did you they hurt you?" Amanda shook her head.

"I'm fine. Rick stopped them before they could steal our Pokémon." Her mom nodded. "I guess it's a good thing he wasn't in the area when they first attacked, or he would've been tied up like the rest of us."

"It really makes one wonder what they do with all the Pokémon they steal. Hey, before you go challenge the gym, I want you to stop by Sandgem Town and thank Professor Rowan for the Pokédex," her mom said. Amanda looked at her like she was crazy.

"But, Mom! Can't I just call him on the phone?" She hated to delay her journey just to say thank you to the Professor.

"Jubilife City isn't that far from Sandgem Town, and you can take the bus and be there and back again before sundown," Amanda's mother declared, with a decisive nod. Amanda grimaced. There was no way she was getting out of this.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnston!" Rick was hovering over Amanda's shoulder, giving her mom a cheeky smile.

"Hello, Rick! I hear you got to be a hero. Stopping Team Galactic in their tracks?" Rick shrugged, smile still on his face.

"It was nothing. I'm sure Amanda and Madeline could have done it, too." Amanda noticed that the smile never left his face.

"All right, well see you later, Rick. I love you, 'Manda."

"Love you, too, Mom." She hung up the phone. She turned to Rick and said, "You're never gonna let go of this Team Galactic thing, are you?"

"Of course not. I have a call to make." Rick franticly dialed the phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Toby. Don't tell Madeline." Amanda raised her hands and walked away.

"Hi, lil' bro. How's Marshtomp?" His brother was in his pajamas, his hair all tangled.

"She's fine. She misses you a lot, but she's giving me a chance." Hurt started creeping into his voice, and Toby noticed.

"Hey, the fact that you got her to do that in one week tells me a lot." Toby smiled at his brother.

"Yeah, that I need to learn a lot," Rick said dejectedly. Toby shook his head.

"I meant it as a compliment, Ricky. She's very stubborn. I thought it would take months for her to warm up to you. I couldn't have done that." Rick stared at his brother in disbelief.

"Yes you could have! You're the best Pokémon Trainer in the world!"

Toby shook his head. "No, Rick. I'm not. Believe me when I say that you are an amazing trainer."

Rick scoffed. "I learned everything I know about Pokémon from you!" Rick looked down at his shoes. "Uh, Toby?"

"Yeah?" Rick's eyes scanned his tennis shoes. They were white with blue stripes running down to the back of his heels.

"I think, after I'm done with the League, you should take Marshtomp back. She'll be happier with you…" Toby could tell he wasn't going to be able to change his little brother's mind just by his tone of voice. Toby was sure he'd just upset Rick more if he argued.

"Okay, if that's what you both want."

"It is. Thanks, Toby. Bye."

"Bye." Rick hung up. He vaguely wished he'd never called Toby. He liked Marshtomp a lot, but she should have a trainer she likes. Rick had thought he had gotten through to her, and even though she was trying to keep an open mind, it was obvious she missed Toby.

"What's up, Rick?" asked Madeline. Rick realized he must look pretty upset. He put on a smile.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking."

"Guys, we have to make a quick stop at Professor Rowan's lab. Mom wants me to thank him for the Pokédex. I don't think I'm gonna get out of that one, so we could take the bus."

"Sure." Rick said. Madeline nodded.

"We'd better hurry then," Amanda said.

* * *

The bus ride was quiet. Amanda was looking out the window, thinking about Team Galactic and how it felt to know you weren't getting your Pokémon back after they stole them. Rick was looking at all the Pokémon that were on Route 202. He saw a little blue one, and what looked like a Kricketot. He also saw a brief flash of red-orange swinging through the trees…

Madeline was checking out Togepi's new attacks with the Pokédex. Togepi was in a pokéball because Madeline thought it was impractical to have him out all the time, and he seemed to like it. Amanda noticed that she really looked serious about letting Togepi battle.

"Togepi learned Charm, Sweet Kiss, and Metronome in that last battle," Madeline said, breaking the silence.

"So, are you still mad at me for letting Togepi battle?" Rick asked. He had that cheeky smile on his face again.

"I've been thinking about it a lot," Madeline said, "and it wasn't fair for me to say that Togepi was worth more than Marshtomp." Both Rick and Amanda were surprised at this shocking revelation. It wasn't like Madeline to admit she was wrong.

"Well… glad you admit it," said Rick. The rest of the trip was quiet once again.

* * *

Amanda opened the doors to the laboratory, and walked inside, Madeline and Rick following close behind. The lab was in complete chaos, from what Amanda could tell. Papers were all over the floor, and everyone was running around like lunatics. An old man with a beard was giving orders to the people in lab coats. Amanda assumed this was Professor Rowan. She had never actually seen him. Her mother had gotten her Pokédex for her.

"Uh, Professor?" she said, uncertain. The man turned. Everyone stopped what they were doing, apprehension evident on their faces.

"I'm sorry. We don't have the starter Pokémon. If you come back later, we'll have them," Professor Rowan said. Amanda was confused. She didn't come here to get a Pokémon; she came to thank him for her Pokédex.

"Uh, no, I- I didn't come for a Pokémon!" she said hastily. Rowan raised his eyebrow a fraction of an inch.

"Then what did you come for?" There was something about him that made Amanda uneasy.

"I came to thank you for the Pokédex. You gave it to me a week ago. My friends got one, too." She pointed to Rick and Madeline, who waved slowly.

"Oh. I remember. It's nice to meet some polite Pokémon Trainers for a change. It provides a nice contrast to the rest of the Trainers I give Pokédexes to." Amanda smiled uncomfortably. There was no way she was going to admit her mom made her thank him.

"Uh yeah… So thank you! Bye!" Amanda took off, and was almost to the door when Professor Rowan said, "Wait a minute." Amanda turned to face him.

"Yes?" she said as politely as she could.

"Since you're a Pokémon Trainer, do you think you could help me out?" She didn't do anything. "The Starter Pokémon we had for a couple new trainers escaped right out from under our noses. We need them back here before they arrive. Could you and your friends get them back here?"

"Sure!" Rick piped up. "We'd be glad to help you, sir." Amanda shot him a look that could scare a Garchomp. Of course, Rick didn't even notice.

"Alright. I need them back soon. There's no telling when they'll show up for their first Pokémon." Rick grabbed Amanda and Madeline by the elbows and pulled them out.

* * *

"What! 'Sure! We'd be glad to help you, sir.'" Amanda said, in a mock imitation of Rick. She slammed her foot into the ground.

"Oh come on! This'll take all of three hours! We've been wandering around in the woods for a week!" Rick said. "And my voice is not that high pitched."

"Madeline, what do you think?" Amanda asked.

"I'm gonna stay out of this one." She stalked away.

"Patience is something Pokémon Trainers need, Amanda."

She scoffed. "What do you know about Pokémon training, Rick?"

He glared at her. "Everything I learned from my brother. Now, I know you're upset that Team Galactic almost stole Wurmple and you couldn't stop them, and you're anxious to prove that you're a good trainer too at that gym. Not to mention you're impatient by nature. That's really no reason not to help someone who needs it."

Amanda gave him a shocked look. "How did you know that?"

"What? That you're impatient or that you want to prove you're good trainer?" Amanda started to mess with her jeans.

"The second one," she said, embarrassed.

"I've known you since we were three, Amanda! I like to think I've learned to read you pretty well!" Rick suddenly got an idea. You could see it flash across his face, and you could tell it wasn't going to turn out well for someone. "How about we have a Pokémon battle. If I win, we go find the starter Pokémon. If you win, I'll go in and tell him we can't get the Pokémon back because… someone spotted a Rayquaza and we have to check it out. Deal?" Amanda thought about this. _Hey, how could Rick win this? I've got a lot more experience as a Pokémon Trainer than he does!_

"Deal." They shook on it. Rick grabbed Marshtomp's pokéball and threw it out in front of Amanda. Marshtomp came out in a brilliant flash of light. Amanda smiled, like she had an ace up her sleeve.

"Go, Wurmple!" Amanda's first Pokémon landed in front of Marshtomp. She stared her opponent right in the eye and growled. It sounded really strange coming from such a small Pokémon.

Rick was confused. Why would Amanda call on Wurmple when Budew had a type advantage over Marshtomp?

"Why'd you call on Wurmple?" Amanda shook her head at Rick. He was obviously a rookie.

"Budew hardly has any experience in battling. Type advantages will only get you so far Rick. Not to mention, Wurmple and I know each other a lot better than Budew and I know each other." Rick's mouth formed a small "o".

"You go first, Rick."

"Marshtomp, use Water Gun!" Marshtomp fired a jet of water at Wurmple.

"Dodge it, Wurmple!" Wurmple shuffled out of the way, but not fast enough to avoid Marshtomp's attack completely. She got clipped by part of the water. It knocked her away, but it wasn't too serious.

"Wurmple, use Tackle!" Wurmple rushed forward, and just as she was about to slam into Marshtomp, Rick ordered her to use Mud Shot. Marshtomp fired mud all over Wurmple, who was propelled backwards. She slammed into a tree.

"Now use Tackle to finish her off!" Marshtomp ran at Wurmple, who was trying to get mud out of her eyes. All the mud from Marshtomp's attack made it easier for her to move and Wurmple was sent flying again. Wurmple didn't get up.

"Wurmple!" Amanda ran forward and held her Pokémon tightly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you battle like that. I should've just helped Professor Rowan. Return." The last thing Wurmple saw before she was sucked into the pokéball was Marshtomp getting praised by Rick.

"Alright, Rick. Let's go find those Pokémon."

* * *

"If I was a Piplup, where would I be?" Madeline asked. She had wandered away from Amanda and Rick in search of the starters. She was sure she had seen a flash of blue in the forest… somewhere. She was amazed by all the different Pokémon she saw, that she almost forgot what she was doing in the woods.

She came upon a glittering blue lake. "Here, probably." She scanned the surface of the lake. It was unbroken. Nothing had touched the surface in awhile. "Huh. Or maybe not." She turned to leave, but a blue penguin erupted from the surface. It was chased by a giant crustacean with a star atop its head. The little Piplup hopped out of the water, followed closely by the other Pokémon.

Madeline took out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

_Crawdaunt. The Rogue Pokémon. The evolved form of Corphish. Crawdaunt loves to battle. A veteran Crawdaunt that has prevailed in hundreds of battles has giant pincers marked with countless scars._

Madeline was afraid. She had heard that Crawdaunt were tough to defeat in battle. She checked the pincers this one had. They were scarred, but they weren't too horrendous. Piplup ran up to her, and she picked him up.

Crawdaunt was approaching fast. Any second now it would get them. "Let's get out of here!" Madeline ran off as fast as she could move. Crawdaunt still advanced on them.

"_Piplup!"_ Piplup cried in fear.

"You're right this is pointless. Go Togepi!" Madeline sent out her baby Pokémon. "Use Sweet Kiss!" Togepi launched the huge pink hearts at Crawdaunt, who started running into trees.

"Now use Metronome!" Togepi began to wave his arms about, while Crawdaunt still rammed into trees. After a few moments Togepi's arms glowed light blue. Crawdaunt shook himself out of confusion to get electrocuted by an attack from Togepi. He shook from the power of that attack, until Togepi stopped using it. Crawdaunt fell to the ground and wouldn't budge.

"_Piplup! Pip Pip Lup!"_ Piplup hopped out of Madeline's arms and started to walk away.

"Oh no you don't! I just saved you from Crawdaunt, now you're gonna go back to the lab where you belong." Madeline grabbed Piplup, who struggled the whole time. "Togepi, return." She said, while trying to wrestle Piplup. She took a look at Crawdaunt, lying in the grass, hurt. "I can't just leave it there." She pulled out a pokéball and tossed it at Crawdaunt. As soon as it stopped moving she grabbed it, and with Piplup in tow, made her way back to the lab.

* * *

Chimchar jumped to another branch, teeth bared, ready for an attack. When he didn't find any other Pokémon, he slid down the tree and looked around slowly. He thought he saw something and pressed his back to the tree. He cocked his imaginary 9 mil., getting ready to strike. When his attacker walked past the tree, he revealed his location, shrieking, _"Chimchar Chim!"_

The short girl turned, saw Chimchar, imaginary 9 mil. in hand, and asked, "Just who are you supposed to be?"

"_Char. Chim Char." _A small smile appeared on her lips, and Chimchar noticed she was upset over something. He refused to stand for that. He put his 9 mil. aside, and hopped on top of her head, and starting dancing to no music. She tried to fight it, as if she enjoyed being miserable, but she couldn't help it. She laughed louder than a Loudred, and Chimchar laughed as well. Chimchar had to wonder why she was upset.

"I've been looking for you, Chimchar. You need to go back to the lab." Chimchar shook his head. He didn't want to go back there. He wanted to get into battles and see all of the Sinnoh Region. "Come on. You have to be there when the new trainers come, so they can choose a Pokémon." Chimchar perked up at that. If he could have trainer, he could do everything he wanted to do.

The short girl picked him up and walked back the way she came. _"Chimchar." _He said. The girl looked down at him and said, "Amanda." He nodded with a smile on his face.

"_Char Chim Chimchar?" _He asked, and Amanda assumed he was asking if she was a Pokémon Trainer, but she couldn't be certain.

"Yeah, I am." She refused to elaborate on it so Chimchar asked another question.

"_Chimchar Char Char Chimchar?" _Amanda translated this as 'What kinds of Pokémon do you have?'

"I have a Wurmple and a Budew." Chimchar nodded. He tried to cheer her up again by making funny faces.

"You're a funny Pokémon, Chimchar. You're gonna get a trainer real fast." Chimchar was slightly put out by this.

* * *

Rick searched everywhere he could think of for the Pokémon. He searched small ponds for Piplup, trees for Chimchar, and tall grass and bushes for Turtwig. Nothing. He wondered why those Pokémon ran off. It seemed really strange considering they were born and raised in captivity. Maybe they had heard their new trainers were brats.

He got slammed in the back by something, and was knocked forward. When he turned to his attacker, he saw a green turtle-like Pokémon. This was obviously a Turtwig.

"Why are you attacking me?!" The little Pokémon stamped his feet, preparing to attack again. "Go, Marshtomp!" Rick tossed the pokéball out and his Pokémon faced Turtwig. Turtwig looked incredibly happy at the thought of having an opponent. _It just wants to battle! That's why it attacked!_ "Marshtomp use Tackle!" Marshtomp ran at Turtwig who wasn't able to dodge in time. He was sent flying backwards, but landed on his feet. Turtwig ran forward to ram Marshtomp with a Tackle of his own.

"Use Water Gun on the ground!" Marshtomp looked puzzled by this but did it anyway. She blasted off into the sky, and part of her Water Gun hit Turtwig, who failed to Tackle her, obviously. Turtwig instead launched several razor sharp leaves at her.

"Marshtomp use Mud Shot to blow them away!" Marshtomp, still in midair, fired all the mud at the leaves. Some of them were knocked away, but a bunch of them hit Marshtomp. Marshtomp winced, trying not to let the pain show through. Turtwig got hit with her attack, and collapsed in a heap. Rick ran forward to catch Marshtomp before she hit the ground.

"That was great Marshtomp!" After checking her injuries, and deciding she would be fine after some rest, he turned to Turtwig. Turtwig didn't look bad as well, it just enough to keep him from battling.

"Not bad, Turtwig. Now we have to get you back to the lab so you can get a trainer." Turtwig looked at him, like he was expecting Rick to be mad.

"_Turtwig Twig?"_ he asked cautiously.

"I'm not mad. You just got overexcited. It's happened to me in occasion." Turtwig nodded. "Now let's get back to the lab."

* * *

Amanda finally remembered which way the lab was after getting lost about a million times, and had arrived before her friends had. She opened the huge doors again, and Professor Rowan greeted her.

"I was beginning to think you had abandoned us. We haven't heard from you in a while."

"Well, it's a big forest, and Chimchar decided to be a spy. He was hiding. If he hadn't jumped out at me, I'd never have found him." Chimchar gave her a mischievous smile, one that said _'You'd better believe it.'_ Amanda took him off her shoulders and tickled him, like they'd known each other for a long time. Rowan smiled at this; Chimchar sure loved to have a good time.

"Have you seen your friends?" he asked.

"No, but I bet they'll be here soon." As soon as those words left Amanda's mouth, the lab doors opened again, and there was Rick, holding Turtwig. "What happened to Turtwig, Rick?" Amanda said, as he laid Turtwig on a table with Chimchar.

"He wanted a Pokémon battle."

"And you battled him?!"

"He attacked me! I didn't have a choice! Besides, he'll be fine. Right, Turtwig?" Turtwig nodded. "Hey, where's Professor Rowan? He was here a second ago!" Amanda shrugged. "And for that matter, where's Madeline?"

"I don't know. Not here."

"No one's been looking for her?"

"If they sent out search parties for Madeline, they would have sent them out for you and me. We only got here a few minutes ago."

"She could be hurt! Remember Garchomp?"

"Yes I do. Madeline will be fine. She can handle herself."

* * *

The plan was to grab Piplup and head back to the lab. Running for her life from a flock of enraged Starly was _not._ Madeline didn't mean to wake them up. She had accidentally run into their tree. Now they were after her, and they definitely didn't go with the cliché, "the early bird catches the Wurmple."

Piplup was no help. The little coward refuse to battle to save his own hide. Though, this time she really couldn't blame him. There were hundreds of Starly in the flock, all upset by the rude awakening. Madeline doubted she could call on one of her Pokémon. The Starly were too close for comfort.

Madeline wasn't really a runner; she got tired out easily. And Madeline found herself slowing down, and the Starly were gaining on her. There was no way she would make it out of this, unless the town was right in front of her.

Madeline tripped over a small rock in her path. She fell into some bushes, the ones Piplup had run into a moment before. _This is the end,_ she thought, and covered her face with her arms. She could hear the Starly flying over her, but she couldn't feel them attacking her. She peeked out just a tiny bit, and saw, to her relief, the town _was _right there, and the Starly were flying off.

"Well, that was lucky," said Madeline as the remaining Starly flew back to the trees. Piplup was trying to edge back into the woods. "No you don't! You're going back to the lab one way or another!" She scooped Piplup up, and tucked him under her arm. He struggled as hard as he could, but Madeline managed to keep hold of him.

The lab was in sight, and Madeline arrived mostly unscathed despite carrying a reluctant penguin, and being attacked by a flock of Starly. Piplup launched a stream of sparkling, blue bubbles at her, but with all the struggling he was doing, he missed and hit the door instead.

"Wow! That was a powerful Bubblebeam!" said a voice from behind her. Madeline turned to see two boys watching her.

The one who complimented Piplup's attack, had dark hair covered by a red cap. He had a black shirt and jeans, complete with a matching red scarf. He was calm, and looked at Piplup with intelligent eyes.

The other boy had wild blonde hair and dark eyes. His eyes darted around, taking in everything around him with lightning speed. He had more complex clothing than the other boy, wearing a striped polo shirt and black jeans. He also had a green scarf.

"Right, Logan?" the first boy asked.

"Yeah. I can't wait to get my first Pokémon." Piplup stopped struggling and looked at the first boy.

"I'm Lucas." He said to Madeline.

"Madeline," she said. "Are you the new trainers?"

They nodded. "Do you work here?" Logan asked. Madeline shook her head.

"I'm just helping out. You guys might want to come inside if you want your Pokémon." Logan flung the doors open and they walked inside to see Professor Rowan holding a potion. Amanda was holding Chimchar, and Rick was shaking hands with the professor.

"Hi guys! I brought the new trainers!" Rick's relief showed on his face when he caught sight of Madeline. Piplup began to struggle again, and Amanda smiled.

"All right, come and choose your Pokémon," Rowan said, gesturing to the table. Madeline deposited Piplup on the table, and Logan and Lucas stepped forward.

"I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think I'm gonna choose, Piplup!" The little penguin looked at Lucas for a long time, and Lucas stared back with equal intensity. After a long minute, Piplup nodded.

"Good. Here's Piplup's pokéball and your Pokédex." Lucas took both items and thanked the Professor.

"I'm not sure what to choose. I heard both Turtwig and Chimchar are powerful, but I can't choose!" Chimchar looked hopefully at the new trainer. If he was chosen, he would get to travel everywhere and get into battles, just like he dreamed of. "I think I'll go with… Turtwig!" Turtwig jumped off the table at Logan, who barely caught him. Professor Rowan handed him the pokéball and the Pokédex. Chimchar tried to hide his disappointment, but Professor Rowan and Amanda noticed immediately.

"You'll get a trainer soon, Chimchar. Don't worry," said Amanda, but Chimchar didn't want to wait. He wanted one now.

"Guys, I have to go to the Pokémon Center," Madeline said. "I have to get a Pokémon healed."

"Okay. Let's go," said Rick.

* * *

"Your Crawdaunt is going to be alright," said Nurse Joy. Madeline nodded.

"Since when did you get a Crawdaunt, Madeline?" Rick asked.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you over there," said Madeline. She, Amanda, and Rick headed over to a bench so Madeline could tell her tale. "I was searching for Piplup, when I came across this pond. I was about to leave, when Piplup hopped out, chased by Crawdaunt. I grabbed him and tried to get away but he was too fast. I sent out Togepi and had him use Metronome. It turned into an Electric attack, and shocked him. I was going to head back to the lab, but my conscience forced me to catch him and bring him here." Madeline finished, and both Amanda and Rick were speechless.

"How did Togepi manage to defeat Crawdaunt? He's just a baby," Amanda said.

"Maybe Crawdaunt was weakened before Togepi attacked. That might give him the edge to finish Crawdaunt off," Rick said, thinking very hard.

"Maybe. But I want to know what I'm gonna do with him. I won't get into enough battles to keep him satisfied. I'm trying to be a breeder! I don't want to challenge the League!" Madeline said.

"I don't know. You could release him, but he'd get into fights with anything that invades his pond. It'd be way too dangerous," Rick said. At the looks his friends gave him he added, "Toby got into fights with Crawdaunts all the time in Hoenn. He told me all about them."

"I would give him to one of you, but I can tell he's a tricky Pokémon. I doubt he'd obey you guys." Madeline sat down to think about her problem. "I'll probably think of something before he's done healing."

* * *

The bell rang, signifying that Crawdaunt had healed, but Madeline hadn't come up with a single plausible idea. She was beginning to think that she should just take Crawdaunt along, and get into as many battles as possible. But Rick and Amanda needed those battles to train their Pokémon, too. And if they split all the battles evenly, considering all the trainers they were likely to ran into in a day didn't add up to much, there was no way Crawdaunt would be satisfied.

"Hi, Crawdaunt." Madeline's new Pokémon looked a lot better. He stared at her, remembering that she had ordered her Pokémon to attack him. "So…" Madeline began, but she had no idea what to say. Crawdaunt flexed his pincers.

Loud shouting erupted from the street. Crawdaunt and Madeline ran out to see what was wrong, and found Officer Jenny chasing some guy carrying a Pokémon egg.

"Stop that thief!" she shouted, but he was getting away. Crawdaunt saw this and launched a BubbleBeam attack.

Huge blue bubbles flew from his pincer in a stream. They nailed the criminal in the back and he fell hard.

The Pokémon egg flew through the air, and Madeline ran forward hoping to get there in time to catch it. Luck was on her side today, and she grabbed it precariously, by the tips of her fingers. Officer Jenny was suddenly by her side. "Here," Madeline said, giving her the egg.

"That's a really powerful Crawdaunt. We could use Pokémon like that fighting crime here," Jenny said, and suddenly Madeline had an idea.

* * *

"You want to keep your Crawdaunt here so it can help the police fight crime?" Professor Rowan asked, and Madeline nodded. "I guess you could do that. I need his pokéball." Madeline grabbed the pokéball and handed it over. "I'll have to ask if it's okay with Officer Jenny, but if it is, he'll become a member of the Police Force, Pokémon Division."

"Cool. Well Crawdaunt, I'll catch you later." Crawdaunt gave her a smile, which Madeline returned. Rick and Amanda stood near the door, waiting for her to finish up. "Bye, Professor." Madeline headed over to the doors, which Rick opened, and stepped through with her friends.

As Rowan turned back to his work, no one noticed when Amanda's backpack twitched…

* * *

AN: I thought I'd never get this chapter out. I've been working on it for four weeks. I'm accepting supporting charaters for the story. You can create one and only one. To submit one, fill out this form:

Name:

Age:

Appearance:

Pokemon: I'd prefer no legendaries.

Good qualities:

Faults: You have to have at least one.

What they would do if they found a sack of money: Be serious here. You answer will help me write the character.


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